The River (TV play)
| "The River (TV play)" | |
|---|---|
| BBC Sunday Night Theatre episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 17 |
| Written by | L. du Garde Peach |
| Original air date | April 29, 1951 |
| Running time | 60 mins[1] |
The River is a 1951 British television play starring Kay Kendall. The role, along with that in another play, Sweethearts and Wives, helped Kendall revive her career after the failure of London Town.[2][3]
It was the first TV play by L. Du Garde Peach, who had written over a hundred radio plays.[4]
Premise
Farmers rebel against flood control.
Cast
- Beckett Bould as John Saxton
- Kay Kendall as Mary
- Frank Atkinson as Walt Fennel
- Peter Bennett as George Grewel
- Graveley Edwards as Colonel Hope-Welling
- Andrew Osborn as Ned Crossland
- Bill Shine as Sam Thirsk
- Lewis Stringer as Frome
- Sam Wilkinson as Amos Grime
Reception
The Evening Standard called it "sluggish" and "never came within an inch of being a play."[5] The Guardian felt it "had some interesting work" but "never became quite real."[6] "Well conceived and realistically interpreted", wrote the Birmingham Post.[7] The Manchester Evening News felt it had "great scope for good characterisation".[8]
References
- ^ "On the radio". Evening Telegraph. 28 April 1951. p. 28.
- ^ Golden, Eve (2002). The brief, madcap life of Kay Kendall. University Press of Kentucky. p. 48.
- ^ "Fen Country play". Lincolnshire Echo. 26 April 1951. p. 4.
- ^ "His first TV play". Evening Telegraph. 24 April 1951. p. 30.
- ^ Campey, George (30 April 1951). "The River is sluggish". Evening Standard. p. 5.
- ^ "Television". The Guardian. 2 May 1951. p. 3.
- ^ "A parable". The Birmingham Post. 3 May 1951. p. 3.
- ^ "Making the most of our medium". Manchester Evening News. 4 May 1951. p. 2.